More Women of the Bible Thoughts

As I have studied more women of the bible these past few weeks, I have neglected to write down my thoughts, but OH have I had them!  I will go over a few of them now.

Lot's Wife

Thinking about the times Lot's wife lived, I wonder just how close we are to the world being like it was then.  I wonder how many times we have "looked back" and by only God's mercy, NOT been turned into "pillars of salt".  I think she is very easy to relate to.  I wonder what went through her mind as her family was rushed out of the town she had known and loved as her home.  This was where her family and friends were and she did not want to leave.  She must have been so torn inside over the decision to scurry off so quickly and never look back.  I wonder if she just wanted one peek, just one more look in longing of what she would miss.  I wonder if she was going to rush back and leave her family instead.  I think the most important lesson to be learned is to keep our eyes on Jesus and HIS PATH in our life, not our own if it is not in line with HIS.  We know deep down when we stray and we know what to do about it, too.  We must resist that last "look back at what we are missing out on" and keep our eyes focused ahead toward VICTORY!

Rebekah

This Rebekah is one character that in some ways I can relate to VERY well because I married my husband after only knowing him for 4 weeks!  We got engaged in maybe 2 weeks or less!  It was a whirlwind for sure!  Rebekah married Isaac based on faith.  The bible tells us what the servant prayed before approaching the water well, but I wonder if Rebekah had ever prayed any specific prayers to know when the time was right for her to be married.  I know I prayed that type of prayer, which was why I married my husband without waiting months and months like many others may do.  He was literally the answer to my specific prayer.  He had prayed in much the same way and tells me I was entirely the answer to his prayer right down to my red hair!  Even the physical features that he asked for when he prayed about his future mate were given to him by marrying me.  That's because that is how powerful and mighty God is.  God knew long before we did what we needed and molded our lives until that fateful day.  What confuses me about Rebekah is why she liked one son more than the other son.  Perhaps this is because I am not a parent.  I would like to think out of myself and my two sisters, my mother does not have a "favorite", but maybe she does???  I do not think she would ever admit it even if she did.  :O) Really and truly I think there are aspects of each of us that she likes more or less and all that combined is what makes us individuals, unique and special to her.  Rebekah, however clearly did favor one son over the other and went so far as to trick her ailing, feeble old husband into passing on the special blessing to her favorite son Jacob when she KNEW without a DOUBT that he meant to pass the blessing along to Esau and that the blessing was MEANT for Esau.  I wonder how Esau must have felt to be betrayed by his own mother.  I was blessed with both a wonderful mother and a wonderful mother-in-law.  My mother-in-law has now gone on to be with the Lord, but the 8 years I had with her showed me she had a love for her son and for me that was a strong bond to not be broken or betrayed.  I realize there are many of you out there who cannot say the same about your own mothers or mother in laws.  Perhaps you relate very well to Esau in this particular circumstance.  Interestingly, his father favored him over his brother.  This house must have had many problems through the years until this fateful day when Jacob took his mother's advice and fled for fear of his very life after "stealing" his brother's blessing. 

Rachel and Leah

Two sisters with issues...why in the world would a father resort to such trickery to see that his daughter is married?  He promises his daughter Rachel to Jacob if he works for him for 7 years, but instead of sending Rachel into the marriage tent that night, he sends her "plain looking" sister Leah!  I do not understand how he would not know the difference for a whole night personally, but perhaps his passion got the best of him and no words were needed until morning maybe?  Who knows!  What is important to know is that the father and Leah were very scandalous in tricking Jacob like this.  Did he have it coming because of what he had done to his father?  I do not believe two wrongs make a right personally.  As it happened, though...the father still promised him his other daughter if he would work ANOTHER 7 years for him.  That Rachel must have been one special lady to Jacob for him to agree to such terms!  Either it was true love or she had an extraordinary quality that he felt he would never find in any other woman.  He agreed to such terms and took Rachel as his wife, too!  I cannot imagine a worse circumstance than to be married to two sisters, one plain looking and one gorgeous!  To make matters worse, Rachel seemed to not be able to bare children for him for a long time.  His blessing was carried out mainly because he had taken Leah as his wife.  I bet his mother would have repented had she known what great lengths of sacrifice and suffering he had circumed to fulfill his destiny because of this "blessing" bestowed upon him.  Rachel was finally able to bare a son, Joseph.  We know if we study later that he really had a hard life for awhile, too with his brothers all trying to get him killed, but God had other plans for his life...that study is for another day, thoguh.  Jacob only thought he knew heartache at this point in his life until he lost Rachel as she bore their second son, whom he named Benjamin.  He loved Benjamin and named him so because it means "Son of My Right Hand" (per the study guide).

As for LEAH...she must have regretted her decision to walk into that tent from that day forward.  Who knows what made her agree to be married to a man who was clearly not in love with her...who adored her sister and was willing to work 7 more years for their father to prove it and to marry Rachel...Perhaps her father gave her no choice.  Maybe the custom was the oldest had to be married before the next could be, but if so, the father should have been up front with Jacob and not tricked him.  Most likely, she was so plain looking he could not find a husband for her.  She must have been very self-conscious, maybe already jealous of Rachel's beauty.  Perhaps that is what made her agree to her father's plan.  Whatever the reason, that morning, she was found out to be a liar and manipulator and her husband was not pleased at all with his new bride from that day forward I would imagine.  She must have found comfort in her children that she was blessed with...one after another.  She indeed had a fertile body and it was her only hold over Rachel, to be able to bare Jacob many children.